ABSTRACT
The centrality of economists in the public debate may depend on several factors: from idiosyncrasies of the political movements that came to dominate politics in the Western world to the definitive consolidation of a recognized profession with its associations and collective identity. Among these elements, especially when one considers the dominance of economics in providing the economic ideas up for discussion, is the scientific authority that economists command. Plenty of analyses in the economics of science assume all sorts of inefficiencies and “market failures.” Economics’ place is even more problematic. On the one hand, especially since the crisis, economists fare particularly badly in terms of social trust: according to a survey by YouGov, 82% of Britons in 2017 trusted doctors, 71% trusted scientists in general, and only 25% trusted economists. In conclusion, the information and power gap between scientists and the general public clearly calls for greater social investment in scientific education, including economics.
